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Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community

Measuring progress, strengthening governance and assisting in the promotion of positive change

IISD is working with Winnipeg's First Nations people to establish sustainability indicators that are reflective of the urban community and the issues and concerns they have identified. The initiative involves working collaboratively with community members and organizations to build lasting capacity at the local level in order to set up, maintain and use indicators to improve decision-making. The ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on human well-being, economic development and environmental sustainability.

Sustainability indicators are being proposed to help understand the current state of the urban First Nations community, what course the community is on and how far the community is from where it wants to be. In essence the sustainability indicators are expected to help the First Nations community move closer to the following objectives:

• Build an improved understanding, for both the First Nations and non-First Nations public and decision-makers, of the challenges facing Winnipeg's First Nations communities.

• Help identify critical problems and vulnerabilities that require policy action by First Nations or other actors, as well as the underlying causes of these issues.

• Help identify the past successes of Winnipeg's First Nations community and factors that made those successes possible.

• Through dialogue and engagement, develop a set of goals and specific targets and, building on past successes, identify options for policies and actions that will help meet those goals.

• Build capacity in the First Nations community of Winnipeg so the community can better diagnose its problems, realize its successes and develop confidence in envisioning, planning and implementing collective and individual action in the interest of achieving a positive future.

In order to accomplish these objectives and ensure the project meets the needs of the growing urban community, IISD is committed to engaging the urban community and its service-delivery sector every step of the way.

Download

• Developing a Sustainability Indicators System to Measure the Well-Being of Winnipeg's First Nations Community: Framework Development and the Community Engagement Process (Preliminary Report) (PDF - 980 KB) (July 2008)
  The second output of a community-based project to develop a sustainability indicators system for Winnipeg's urban First Nations community. The document describes indicator framework selection, project methodology and the information collected throughout the community engagement process.

• A Vision for All (April 2, 2008 NCI)
  Measurement and Assessment's Christa Rust and Grand Chief Ron Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs discuss the community-based project to develop an indicator system to measure the well-being of Winnipeg's urban First Nations community. With Rosanna Deerchild.

• • Segment 1 (MP3 - 7:21 min)
    Grand Chief Ron Evans provides background on the project from the point of view of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

  • Segment 2 (MP3 - 7:11 min)
    Christa Rust explains how community indicators can help the community identify and realize their vision and goals for the future.

  • Segment 3 (MP3 - 11 min)
    Christa Rust explains the process of developing community indicators, and Grand Chief Ron Evans explains the role and responsibilities of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in representing the interests of urban First Nations people, as well as how the indicators can assist that work.

• IISD's Christa Rust offers an interesting and informative description of the project in an interview with CJOB Radio's Geoff Currier. (MP3 - 2.1 MB)
  Learn more about the about the project by listening to the CJOB interview with Christa Rust that aired April 7, 2008, on the Nighthawk. (The CJOB interview is protected by copyright and made available on IISD's website with the permission of Corus Radio. Copyright C 2006-2008 CJOB. All Rights Reserved.)

• Measuring Progress-Strengthening Governance and Assisting in the Promotion of Positive Change: Reflections on a Grassroots Community-Based Sustainability Indicators Project (PDF - 56 KB)

• Building Knowledge, Measuring Well-Being: Developing Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's First Nations Community (PDF - 589 KB)

• Conference paper written for the Aboriginal Policy Research Conference Ottawa (March 2009). Measuring Progress, Strengthening Governance and Promoting Positive Change: Developing Sustainability Indicators with Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community (PDF - 373 KB)

For more detailed information please contact Christa Rust, project manager, Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community.

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